Hibiscus plant named ‘Perfect Storm’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of winter-hardy, herbaceous, perennial, hybrid  Hibiscus  plant named ‘Perfect Storm’ comprising a short compact habit of multiple, well-branched, basal stems producing numerous flowers from the ground up, over a prolonged season having light pink to near white base and bright-red eye and veins and marginal red tinting. The foliage is three to five-lobed, deeply dissected, maple-like and dark purple colored.

Botanical classification: Hibiscus hybrid (L.).

Variety denomination: ‘Perfect Storm’.

BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to the new and distinct hardy, herbaceous, hibiscus plant, Hibiscus ‘Perfect Storm’ hybridized by the inventor on Jul. 27, 2011 at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The new plant is a single seedling selection from a cross between Hibiscus ‘Crown Jewels’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,857 (female seed parent) times Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,079 (male pollen parent). The seeds were harvested on Nov. 11, 2011 and the specific seedling passed the initial trial in the summer of 2013 at which time it was assigned the breeder code labeled # 11-117-6. Both parents have a complex mixture of species in them, most likely including the species: moscheutos and coccineus. Hibiscus ‘Perfect Storm’ was first asexually propagated in 2013 by sterile shoot-tip tissue culture at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The resultant asexually propagated plants have been found to be stable and true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

No plants have been sold, either in this country or anywhere in the world, prior to the filing of this application, nor has any disclosure been made prior to the filing of this application with the exception of that which was within one year of the filing of this application and was derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Hibiscus ‘Perfect Storm’ differs from its parents as well as all other hardy herbaceous hibiscus known to the applicant in many traits. The most similar hibiscus in flower color known to the applicant are Hibiscus ‘Summer Storm’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,443, Hibiscus ‘Kopper King’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,793 and Hibiscus ‘Copper Queen’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,941. The habit of the new plant is shorter and more compact. Compared to the female parent ‘Crown Jewels’ the new plant has much darker purple foliage, the flowers are larger and have more red veining. Compared to the male parent ‘Midnight Marvel’, the new plant has flowers that are more white with red veining, and the habit is shorter and more compact. Compared to ‘Summer Storm’, the new plant is shorter and more compact. Compared to ‘Kopper King’, the new plant is darker purple and finer in leaf texture; shorter, more compact and more branched in habit; and flowers for a longer season with flowers that cover from the bottom to the top of the plant. Compared to ‘Copper Queen’, the new plant has darker purple foliage and the flowers are flatter faced.

Hibiscus ‘Perfect Storm’ is a unique hardy herbaceous hibiscus with the following combined traits:

-   -   1. Winter-hardy, perennial with short compact habit of multiple,         well-branched, basal stems.     -   2. Many rotate, flat-faced flowers over a prolonged season being         produced from the ground to the top of the plant.     -   3. Flower petals having very light pink to near white base, a         lustrous bright-red eye zone and veins of bright-red, with         marginal red tinting on the distal portion.     -   4. Dark-purple, deeply-dissected, three to five-lobed,         maple-like foliage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance of the plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows a close-up of the flower.

FIG. 2 shows the plant in full flower.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hibiscus ‘Perfect Storm’, has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are of three-year-old plants in the loamy-sand, open-field full-sun trials of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed. The plants are of natural habit and were not treated with plant growth regulators, nor were they pinched at any time in the growth year.

-   Parentage: Hibiscus ‘Crown Jewels’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,857     (female seed parent) times Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’ U.S. Plant     Pat. No. 24,079 (male pollen parent). -   Propagation:     -   -   Method.—Stem cuttings and sterile shoot-tip plant tissue             culture division.         -   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture.—About two weeks.         -   Rooting habit.—Normal, branching, developing thick to about             3.0 cm diameter, fleshy; root color creamy yellow between             RHS 161D and lighter than RHS 159D depending on soil type.         -   Crop time.—Under normal summer growing conditions 12 to 16             weeks to flower in a four-liter container from cutting.             Plant vigor is very good. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant habit.—Hardy herbaceous perennial with 12 to 15 thick             upright and heavily branched main stems producing a upright             spreading mound to about 92.0 cm tall and about 120.0 cm             wide, widest about 45 cm above soil line; 12 to 16 primary             branches per main stem protruding at about 80° from             horizontal for lowest branches to about 45° angle from             horizontal for distal branches; flowering from base to top             of plant with about 40 to 48 flowers per main stem.         -   Stem.—Terete, glabrous, glaucous; to about 90.0 cm tall and             about 2.3 cm diameter at base, average about 82.0 cm tall             and about 16.0 mm diameter at base.         -   Stem color.—Base between RHS 144B and RHS 144A with large             patches of various lengths in high light exposed portions of             between RHS 182B and RHS 183A; distal portion between RHS             183A and RHS 187C.         -   Lateral branches.—Terete, glabrous, glaucous; to about 38.0             cm long and 6.5 mm diameter.         -   Lateral branch color.—Between RHS 183A and RHS 187C.         -   Internode.—About 12 nodes per stem below flowers, average             internode length about 4.0 cm of unpinched plant below             flower, and average about 2.5 cm in upper flowering section             without branches, largest in middle portion of stem.         -   Internode color.—Varying with light exposure, same as             surrounding stem. -   Foliage description: Alternate; dentate; glabrous; deeply cleft,     mostly three-lobed with some five-lobed; lustrous adaxial center,     dull adaxial sides and below; leave blades to about 16.0 cm long and     about 16.0 cm across, leaf blade size average 15.0 cm long and 13.0     cm wide, becoming smaller distally; no fragrance detected.     -   -   Foliage color.—Adaxial between RHS N186A and RHS N186B with             a green base of nearest RHS 139B sometimes showing; abaxial             between RHS 147B and RHS N138C.         -   Veins.—Palmate; lustrous; ridged on abaxial.         -   Vein color.—Adaxial proximally nearest RHS 187B becoming RHS             N186C and progressing to nearest RHS N186B distally; abaxial             between RHS 187C and RHS 185B proximally and becoming             nearest RHS 185C toward leaf margins.         -   Petioles.—Mostly terete, slightly flattened at base;             glaucous; glabrous; to about 8.0 cm long and 5.0 mm diameter             at base, average size about 6.5 cm long and 4.0 mm wide.         -   Petiole color.—Adaxial between RHS 187B and RHS 187C;             abaxial between RHS 184B and RHS 183C. -   Flower description: Complete; actinomophic; upward to outward     facing; rotate; lasting about two days on plant; no fragrance     detected.     -   -   Buds one day prior to opening.—Ovoid with rounded apex and             bluntly rounded base; carinate at sepal fusions; unopened             petals wrinkled at veins; about 6.4 cm long and about 4.3 cm             across.         -   Bud color.—Exposed petal color just above sepals nearest RHS             N155C, distal petal portion and veins between RHS 58A and             RHS 60C; color of sepal base nearest RHS 144A and with             tinting in the distal portion to nearest 185B.         -   Epicalyx.—Entire, glabrous, dull surface abaxial and             adaxial; linear with sharply acute apex and attenuate base,             arcuate upwards near calyx; typically 10 to 12 per flower;             about 2.5 cm long tapering to base of about 3.0 mm wide;             adaxial and abaxial color between RHS 141C and RHS 143C with             abaxial tinting of nearest RHS 183C.         -   Sepals.—Five; glabrous, slightly glaucous abaxial; acute             apex; margin entire, edentate; abaxial and adaxial surfaces             matte; fused in base; about 3.6 cm long, fused in about the             basal 2.2 cm, about 2.4 cm wide at fusion, proximal 1.4 cm             connate forming campanulate star-shaped calyx.         -   Sepal color.—Abaxial base between RHS 144A and RHS 143C with             distal tinting nearest RHS 183C; adaxial color between RHS             145B and RHS 145C.         -   Flowers.—Solitary, about 40 to 45 per main stem without             pinching; slightly cupped petals and lightly pleated at             veins giving extra strength to resist high winds; upward and             outwardly facing; average 19.0 cm across and 6.8 cm deep             from outside face to edge of reflexed petals, larger in             early part of flowering season; persist for a one to two             days; effective for at least 9 weeks beginning early August             and lasting into October; no detectable fragrance.         -   Petals.—Five; glabrous, slightly lustrous in center and dull             both front and back toward middle and perimeter; adnate to             the androecium to form a column, imbricate to about 100%             overlapping at widest part (petals overlapping completely to             the petals on either side), palmately veined, primary and             secondary veins impressed on front and ribbed on back;             shape: rounded with distinct claw and limb; margins: entire,             edentate; apex: rounded; base: short claw-like; size:             average about 9.0 cm long and about 13.0 cm wide at widest             portion (larger in earlier part of flowering season); center             dark eye about 6.5 cm diameter.         -   Petal color.—Adaxial center nearest RHS N155C, apex distal             overlapped portion blushed with nearest RHS 60C, veins             extending from eye between RHS 60B and RHS 60C lightening to             nearest RHS N155C distally, eye nearest RHS 53B in outer             about 5.0 mm and proximally nearest RHS 53C; abaxial color             between RHS 70B and RHS 70C with exposed eye between RHS 61C             and RHS 61B; adaxial central portion between eye and margin             lighter than RHS N155D or RHS N155C, apex and veins             radiating from apex between RHS 60B and RHS 60C.         -   Gynoecium.—Single; partially enclosed in column. Column:             glabrous, lustrous; about 5.5 cm long and about 1.2 cm wide             at base; Column color: basal 1.0 cm between RHS 61C and RHS             61D, distal 4.5 cm whiter and lighter than RHS 155D; Style:             split in distal about 7.0 mm portion into typically five             branches and protruding from column, branch diameter about             1.5 mm; branch color nearest RHS N155C; Stigma: typically             five; globose, puberulent, about 3.0 mm in diameter; color             nearest RHS 159D; Ovary: superior, about 8.5 mm across at             base and about 8.0 mm tall; acute apex; color between RHS             145B and RHS 145C;         -   Androecium.—Filaments: numerous, about 160; less than about             1.0 mm in diameter and about 5.0 mm long; attached along             nearly the entire length of column; color nearest RHS N155C;             Anthers: reniform; dorsifixed; about 2 mm long and 1 mm             wide; color nearest RHS 155A; Pollen: numerous, globose,             less than 0.1 mm long; color nearest RHS 155D.         -   Pedicel.—Terete, glabrous, glaucous; length from base of             sepal to abscission point about 14.0 cm long and about 2.5             mm wide, longer on early flowers and decreasing in distal             flowers; color nearest RHS 138B with tinting of nearest RHS             184B in more intense light.         -   Peduncle.—Terete, glabrous, glaucous; about 4.5 cm long from             abscission point to stem and about 3.5 mm wide at base,             shorter on upper flowers; color nearest RHS 185A.         -   Fruit.—Loculicidal capsule; puberulent; globose, with             abruptly acute apex; color variable between RHS N199B and             RHS N199C when mature.         -   Seed.—Minutely floccose, typically globose; about 3.0 mm in             diameter; color between RHS 165B and RHS N199B. -   Resistance: The flowers of ‘Perfect Storm’ have resisted wind, rain     and hot sun conditions better than typical hardy perennial hibiscus.     Other pest and disease resistance beyond that of other hardy     perennial hibiscus cultivars has not been observed. The plant grows     best with plenty of moisture, but is able to tolerate some drought     once established. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 4 through 9, and     other disease resistance is typical of that of other hardy hibiscus     cultivars. 

I claim:
 1. A new cultivar of hardy herbaceous perennial Hibiscus hybrid plant named ‘Perfect Storm’ as herein illustrated and described, suitable for potted plant culture, landscaping as a specimen or en masse, and especially suited for patios and confined spaces because of the short compact habit. 